Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-11-26
LINcoLN's TENDER CONSCIENCE.
A Branch of Legal Practice Which He
 Never Tried to Iearn-An Incident.

A Branch of Legal Practice Which He
 Never Tried to Learn-An Incident
 Although Mir. Lincoln was my senior by eighteen years, in one important par ticular, l certainly was, in a marvellous degree, his acknowledged superior. One Of the first things 1 learned, after getting fairly under way a. a lawyer, was tO charge well for legal seryices--a branch ot the practice that Mir. Lincoln never could learn In fact, the lawyers 0f the circuit often complained thAt his fees were not at all commensurate with the service rendered. He at length left that branch of the business wholly tO me; and to my tender mercy clients were turned over Co be slaughterel according tO my popular and more advanced ideas of the dignity of our profession. This soon led to serious and shocking embarrassm ment.
 Early in our practice a gentleman named Scott placed in my hands a case Of some importance. He had q demented sister who possessed property tO the amount of Sl0,0OO, mostly in cash. A eonseryator, as he was called, had been appointed to take charge of the estate, and We were employed tO resist a motion tO remove the conservator. A designing adventurer had become acquainted with the girl, knowing that she had money. and sought to marry her-hence the mo tiOn. Scott the brother and cOnservatOr, before We entered upon the case, insisted thGt l shOuld fix the amount of the fee. l told him that it would be S2j0, adding however, that he had better wait: it might not give us much trouble, and in that event a lesser amount would do. He agreed at once to pay SEQ. as he expected hard contest over the motion. The case WIS tried inside of twenty minutes. Our success was complete. Scott was satisfied. and cheerfully paid over the money inside the bar. MT. Lincoln looking on. Scott then went out and MT Lincoln asked: What did you charge that manf" told him S2j0
 Said he: "Lamon, that is all wrong The service was uOt worth that sum; give him back at least half of it.
 protested that the fee was fixed in ad- vance. that Scott was perfectly satisfied, and had sO expressed himself
 That may be, ' retOrteJi Lincoln, with a look of distress and of undisguised dis pleasure; but I am not satisfied. This Is positively wrong. Go, call him back and return half the money at least, or l will not receive one cent Uf it for my share"
 did go, and Scott was astOnished when handed back half the fee. This cOnver- sation had attracted the attention of the lawyers and the court. Judge David Davis. then on our circuit bench, called MT. Lincoln tO him The judge never could whisper, but in this instance he probably did his best At all events, in attempting Co whisper to Mir. Lincoln he trumpeted his rebuke in about these wor,is, and in rGsping tones that could be heard all over the court room: Lincoln, have been watching you and I.amOn. You are impOyerishing this bar by your piCayune charges of fees, and the lawyers have reason tO complain of you You are now almost as poor as Lazarus, and If you don't make people pay you more for your services you will die as poor As Jobs turkey"
 Judge O. L. Davis, the leading lawyer in that part of the state. promptly ap- plauded this maledictiOn from the bench, but Mir. Lincoln was immOvable. That money" said he, .'comes out Of the pocket of poor demented girl, and I would rather Starve than tO swindle her in this manner"
 That evening the lawyers got together and tried Mir. Lincoln before moot tri- bCnal called The OGmathOrial Court" He was found guilty and fined for his awful crime against the pockets of his brethren of the bar. The fine he paid with great good humor, and then he kept the crowd of lawyers in uprouriOus laughter until after midnight. He persisted in his revolt, however. declaring that with his consent his firm should never during it's life, or after it's dissolution, deserve the reputation enjoyed by those shining lights of the profession, 'Catchem and Cheatem. " Ward Lannon's Letter.